Flat bed trailersTrucking is a great industry. Short of being an economist not a lot of jobs are on the front of the economy. Lets face it, if the stuff at Walmart isn’t selling we know it before the guru’s on Wall street do. When freight prices start to dip we know that somebody isn’t buying something. As a trailer salesman, I get to see the many different kinds of freight and what is moving (paying) and what is not. Since most who would read this are involved in trucking I’ll skip most of the elementary trailer stuff and jump right in to the trends that we are seeing. In full disclosure I will, upfront say that I sell trailers for a living. I present the following based on the market conditions that I see here in North Texas.

I’ll start with the dry vans. Seeing as how this is really the most basic commodity, it has never been the big money maker in the industry, especially for the owner operator. Unless you can find a niche market that pays well it is very tough to make it. Since this is where most drivers enter their career, it has entry level wages and high turn over. Currently new van sales are in the toilet, with no thought of them coming out any time before next summer. This tells me that the freight in this sector is only going to get cheaper over the winter. If you run vans start pinching pennies now. To the other side if you have good hauls and are one of the few making good money in this sector now is the time to buy equipment. Most of the factories have a huge stock inventory and many are beginning to consider ways to get rid of it.


Normally I would cover reefer freight in this segment but I honestly could not do it justice. Here is what I do know they aren’t selling very well and they are very seasonal on sales and freight. My assumption on this market is that it is not doing as well as some would like.

On to the flatbed and single drop markets. This is the next rung up the ladder in pay and work. This requires a lot more physical labor and knowledge of load securement. The good news is customers pay for that knowledge. With the additional ability to do some over dimensional loads that pay very well, this is where you start to see profits. These trailers in all configurations are selling reasonably well. By well, I mean 5 to 1 over vans. There is a bit of a slowdown in the market but still staying above water. There are some good deals to be had mostly in the new side or if you buy from someone getting out completely.

75707175.jpgNext is the heavy haulers. This is where the money pays. This is also where if you want to play you had better bring your wallet, and possibly the title to your truck. With trailer costs starting in the $50,000 range and nothing but your imagination to see the top numbers, the homework had better be done before you come to class. The cost of a wrong specification on a trailer will be huge. Being off route on a permit load can be 5 figures. This is not for the faint of heart. Now that I’ve put the bad out there, the good far out weighs the bad for those who have patience and skills. There seems to be plenty of freight in this segment. The trailer builders are way out on build times, some out as far as 2010. Read that last line as “freight that pays as far as anyone one can see”.

Now here comes the reality check for all markets. A cheap dollar is good for manufacturing here in America, and boy is the dollar cheap. If (big IF) the housing market washes out, this to is good for manufacturing as well as lumber, steel, household goods, etc…The price of oil is continuing to rise, as this goes so goes the energy market. There are lots of wind mills being built and hauled. There is a lot of drill stem being moved. The energy market is one of the strongest markets out there. All this being said, we all know that one terrorist attack throws all of this up in the air. Although I would be willing to make the leap that if that did happen the energy sector would only get bigger.

Thank all of you in advance for any opportunities I may have to serve you in the future. www.flatbedtrailersales.net

Wayne Ostrander